scholarly journals Rosa rugosa as an Invader of Coastal Sand Dunes of Cape Breton Island and Mainland of Nova Scotia

2010 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Hill ◽  
Leah Beveridge ◽  
Andrea Flynn ◽  
David J. Garbary

Rosa rugosa is described for the first time as an invasive species associated with coastal sand dunes in Atlantic Canada. Our surveys of 24 beaches on western Cape Breton Island and the mainland of northern Nova Scotia from Cheticamp to Fox Harbour showed that 11 of the dune systems (ca. 45%) were colonized. This was more prevalent in Cape Breton where R. rugosa occurred on 9 of 13 systems, whereas only 2 of 9 mainland systems were colonized. Four dunes (three in Cape Breton) were considered heavily colonized with 0.4 - 8.8% of the dune area with cover of R. rugosa. These beaches had 12 - 42 independent clumps with almost monospecific stands over 90% cover. In general, heavily colonized beaches were found adjacent to communities where extensive domestic planting and hedges of R. rugosa occurred and where escapes onto roadsides had occurred. In most colonized beach systems, rhizomes from clones extended 1 - 5 m to produce younger shoots. The absence of Ammophila breviligulata, Lathyrus maritimus and Myrica pensylvanica, from the interior of many clumps of R. rugosa suggests that native dune communities are being negatively impacted. This exacerbates dune integrity already compromised by impacts of sea level rise.

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall F. Miller

Studies of Coleoptera remains from two late-glacial sites on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, present a picture of the paleoenvironment and paleoclimate during the Allerød–Younger Dryas transition in the Maritimes region. They provide evidence for the Younger Dryas event in northeastern North America. Between 11 300 and 10 800 BP, the beetle assemblages at the Campbell site are typical of faunas of the modern middle to northern boreal forest. The West Mabou site contains beetle fossils younger than 10 900 BP, possibly as young as 10 500 BP, extending into the time period of the Younger Dryas, dated from 10 800 to 10 000 BP in the Maritimes. A "cold climate" indicator recognizable in the beetle fauna, Olophrum boreale, occurs in relative abundance and provides an interesting comparison with sites in Europe where the same northern boreo-montane species is evident at the beginning of the Younger Dryas.


1974 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1357-1365 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Terasmae

A palynological study and radiocarbon dating of surficial deposits on Port Hood Island, Nova Scotia, have indicated that deglaciation occurred more than 11 000 yr B.P., and that the presence of an 'upper till' in local depressions is attributable to soil-creep processes under cold and wet climatic conditions some 11 000 to 10 000 yr B.P. No evidence was found of an ice advance younger than 11 000 yr B.P. in western Cape Breton Island.


2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 1299-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonya A Dehler ◽  
D Patrick Potter

New high-resolution magnetic data have been acquired along the coast of western Cape Breton Island near Cheticamp, Nova Scotia, in a transition zone between exposed, elevated basement of the Cape Breton highlands and the adjacent Carboniferous sediment-filled Magdalen Basin. These data were collected to provide continuity between the mapped onshore geology and the geophysical-based interpretations of offshore structure. Separation of the geologic component of the data from the effects of diurnal and other variations in the Earth's magnetic field was made difficult by recording problems at the nearby base recording station. Careful correlation of the fragmented station signal with records from a nearby permanent magnetic observatory enabled a reasonable diurnal signal to be synthesized and applied successfully to the data. Additional processing and filtering helped to enhance small anomalies in the data. Several low-amplitude, fairly linear magnetic anomalies are visible in the reduced anomaly data, generally trending north to northwest away from the coastline. Small-amplitude lineations in the offshore at Cheticamp are associated with folded, tilted, or faulted strata imaged on coincident seismic reflection data and are interpreted as representing juxtaposed units of Carboniferous strata. Other small anomalies appear to represent shallow contacts between intrusive or metasedimentary rocks visible in outcrops near the coast. A stronger, coast-parallel anomaly that extends across the study area from a regional magnetic high in the north is coincident with an offset in basement rocks or deeper strata beneath Carboniferous basin fill. This anomaly may mark part of the faulted transition zone between the elevated highlands of northwestern Cape Breton Island and the Magdalen Basin depocentre.


2007 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Majka ◽  
Robert S. Anderson ◽  
David B. McCorquodale

AbstractSeventy-nine species of weevils are newly reported in Nova Scotia and 66 species are newly reported on Prince Edward Island, increasing the known provincial weevil faunas to 244 and 92 species, respectively. Thirty-six species are recorded for the first time in the Maritime Provinces; of these, Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus (Marsham), Listronotus dietzi O'Brien, Corthylus columbianus Hopkins, and Orchidophilus aterrimus (Waterhouse) are recorded for the first time in Canada. Orchidophilus aterrimus has been collected only in exotic domesticated orchids and is not established in the wild. Fourteen species previously recorded on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, are reported from the provincial mainland. Four species — Curculio sulcatulus (Casey), Ceutorhynchus squamatus LeConte, Tachyerges niger (Horn), and Ips calligraphus (Germar) — are removed from the faunal list of Nova Scotia, and three species — Temnocerus cyanellus (LeConte), Curculio nasicus (Say), and Cryphalus ruficollis ruficollis Hopkins — are removed from the faunal list of Prince Edward Island. The combined known weevil fauna of the Maritime Provinces now totals 290 species. The adequacy of collection effort is discussed and in Nova Scotia, where collection effort has been greatest, distribution patterns of selected groups of species are examined. Island faunas are discussed with respect to those of Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island. Regional biogeographic patterns of species are also discussed, including possible disjunct populations in Nova Scotia and species that may not have crossed the isthmus of Chignecto to colonize Nova Scotia. Attention is drawn to the long history of introduced species in the region and to ongoing introductions through an examination of the earliest records for the 60 introduced species found in the region.


1980 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 1096-1100
Author(s):  
Peter H. von Bitter ◽  
Hilary A. Plint-Geberl

Phillipsite crystals altered to analcime are reported for the first time in ancient shallow-water marine carbonates (Lower Windsor Group, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada).


Author(s):  
Andrea Flynn ◽  
Anthony G. Miller ◽  
David J. Garbary

CCoronilla varia L. (crown vetch) is described as an invasive plant on a coastal sand dune system (Mahoneys Beach) in Nova Scotia facing the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. This is the first time that C. varia has been shown as invasive in Atlantic Canada, and the first time it has been characterized as invasive on coastal sand dunes. Accordingly, colonies of C. varia forming more than 90% of the plant cover occupy 8% of the total dune system and account for 32% of the area in the vegetation zone where C. varia has become abundant. C. varia can achieve high percentage cover, with all of the major dune plants, i.e., Ammophila breviligulata, Lathyrus japonicus, Toxicodendron radicans and Myrica pensylvanica. Where C. varia achieves maximum abundance (i.e., >80% cover and ca. 200 shoots m2), it has seemingly replaced A. breviligulata and L. japonicus. We do not know when C. varia first colonized Mahoneys Beach, but conspicuous colonies were recorded there by 2005, and a colony was found on the adjacent dune system (Dunns Beach) for the first time in 2010.Key Words: Coronilla varia, crown vetch, Fabaceae, invasive species, Nova Scotia, sand dunes


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